at the CSI Annex

Lynn Torrie, Eden Nameri & Jody James break the silence around the LGBTQ world by unearthing its presence in traditional tales. You may know these stories, but you have never heard them like this!

A traditional European folk tale of a young girl's coming of age becomes the story of her coming out. The Biblical tales of Naomi and Ruth and of David and Jonathan portray a devotion deeper than friendship. A story of the Scottish sea tells of family alienation. An Albanian tale and a Greek myth illustrate that gender is not set in stone. Storytellers Eden Nameri and Lynn Torrie reveal how they unearthed these stories, why they are so scarce, and what makes them queer.

Eden Nameri (she/her) renders Bible stories and other traditional tales with a mixture of traditional and original interpretation, as well as plenty of personal perspective. She uncovers hidden aspects such as queerness and the perspectives of women. Eden studied storytelling in New York with the late Diane Wolkstein. She tells regularly at 1001 Friday Nights and has performed at the Toronto Storytelling Festival.

Lynn Torrie is a busy member of the York Storytelling Guild and a regular host of Storytelling Toronto’s StoryTent, where she indulges her passion for traditional folk tales. Her original adaptations have been told at the Toronto Storytelling Festival, the Ottawa Signature Series and Guelph’s Tea ’n Tales. When not telling stories herself, she teaches workshops in storytelling and coaches emerging tellers.

Jody James (they/them) is a Trans/non-binary storyteller who has been telling folk & fairy tales, and singing ballads for over 20 years. With banjo in hand, they are excited to meld music with story as part of Hidden In Plain Sight.